Professor Gao said he had posted his opinion on his personal social media account.

Li Xu was stunned. "Professor, you posted something? How come I didn’t see it?"

"Heh..."

Gao Guanghui gave a helpless laugh. "Not long after I posted it, I got a notification from the platform. It was restricted for violating their rules."

"You see? We spoke out, but no one saw it. That’s the power of big money for you. They can easily push the information they want people to see into every corner of the world, while completely silencing ’dissenting voices’ like ours. So, it’s not that we don’t want to stop it... it’s that we can’t."

’So that’s how it is.’

A wave of helplessness washed over Li Xu.

He fell silent, not knowing what to say.

He knew Professor Gao was telling the truth. In a public sphere manipulated by corporate interests, the voice of a small fry like him, or even an authority like Professor Gao, was utterly insignificant.

He didn’t ask Professor Gao to try speaking out again.

’It would be useless.’

But Li Xu was still furious.

After a moment’s thought, he found Zhang Yanquan’s number and dialed it.

Zhang Yanquan was the dean of the Southern University of Chinese Medicine, an heir to the Chengjiang School, and the secretary-general of the Acupuncture Association. He ought to have more influence.

’Maybe there’s a way.’

After the call connected,

after hearing Li Xu out, Dean Zhang’s response was identical to Professor Gao’s.

His words were filled with weariness and apprehension toward corporate power, and he said that he had also tried to speak out, but to little effect.

Hanging up the phone, Li Xu slumped dejectedly into his chair.

His spirits plummeted.

He possessed an excellent formula that could treat the current Type A flu, yet he was powerless to fight the torrent of corporate greed that was sweeping up public health in its wake.

Watching the public be misled, watching the reputation of Traditional Chinese Medicine be chipped away—it felt worse than being sick himself.

Just then, his phone rang.

Li Xu’s spirits lifted.

’Could it be that Professor Gao or Dean Zhang found a way?’

He picked up his phone. It wasn’t them. It was Ding Kaifang.

"Doctor Li, good news!"

Ding Kaifang said excitedly, "Our Sour Jujube Seed medicine will get its final approval this afternoon! The production line is ready to go, we can start formal production tomorrow, and the first batch should arrive at your clinic the day after."

Ding Kaifang didn’t know about Jide Pharmaceutical’s "praise-to-kill" strategy; he was simply happy about the new medicine’s launch.

"With the Type A flu running rampant, our Sour Jujube Seed medicine is sure to make a huge impact and benefit the people!"

Ding Kaifang declared with great enthusiasm.

Li Xu’s low mood lifted considerably at the good news.

At the same time, a bold and brilliant idea surfaced in his mind. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’The core of Jide Pharmaceutical’s "praise-to-kill" strategy is to prop up an ineffective traditional Chinese medicine, let it come crashing down, and use the fallout to completely discredit Traditional Chinese Medicine as a whole.’

’But...’

’What if... what if a truly effective traditional Chinese medicine could ride this wave of "praise," successfully enter the public eye, and be proven to have outstanding efficacy?’

’Then, the so-called "praise-to-kill" would become just "praise," with no "kill" at all!’

’This would completely foil Jide Pharmaceutical’s plot. It might even do the opposite, allowing a genuinely excellent traditional Chinese medicine to gain unprecedented attention and recognition.’

’And which traditional Chinese medicine could take on this important task?’

’Their soon-to-be-launched Sour Jujube Seed medicine, of course.’

’But the name needs to be changed.’

’That’s the only way to ride the momentum.’

"President Ding, I have a proposal."

Li Xu’s mood had improved so much that his voice was cheerful. "The name of the Sour Jujube Seed medicine needs to be changed. I suggest we call it... Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules!"

Ding Kaifang was dumbfounded on the other end of the line. "What? Lianhua... Suanzaoren Granules? Doctor Li, you can’t be serious! Our main ingredient is Sour Jujube Seed, so why add ’Lianhua’ to the name? Won’t that make it look like a knockoff? The approval process is already finished. Changing the name is no small matter!"

"President Ding, let me explain."

Li Xu thought for a moment.

’I can’t reveal anything about the intelligence system.’

’But I can explain it from another angle.’ "Right now, the ’Lianhua’ series of products is incredibly popular on the market. It’s practically become synonymous with anti-flu traditional Chinese medicine. The public has developed a high degree of recognition and trust for the name ’Lianhua’."

"Even though the main ingredient in our Sour Jujube Seed medicine is Sour Jujube Seeds, the formula also contains small amounts of Forsythia Suspensa and Honeysuckle. These are common ingredients in the ’Lianhua’ series.

"The amounts aren’t large, but it’s enough to justify using the name. At least it won’t be false advertising.

"We can market it as an enhanced or brand-new, upgraded version of the ’Lianhua’ series, one that specifically targets the unique pathology of this Type A flu."

"Most importantly, experts, including Academician Zhang Lin, are all heavily recommending Lianhua Granules right now.

"But based on my observations recently, Lianhua Granules aren’t very effective against this particular Type A flu.

"If this marketing campaign is allowed to continue, once the public realizes it’s not as miraculous as advertised, they’ll grow to resent and reject all traditional Chinese patent medicines.

"When that happens, even if our Sour Jujube Seed medicine is excellent, no one will want to touch it."

"So, we have to ride the popularity of ’Lianhua’ and get a truly effective medicine into the market under the ’Lianhua’ name.

"We need to let the public restore their faith in traditional Chinese patent medicines by taking the genuinely effective ’Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules’.

"That’s the only way to foil our opponent’s plot."

Li Xu had laid it all out with perfect clarity.

Ding Kaifang had never considered that there were so many complex twists and turns involved.

He thought that just producing the Sour Jujube Seed medicine would be enough for it to sell well.

After Li Xu’s explanation,

his business instincts kicked in. "Doctor Li, are you saying... someone is maliciously slandering Traditional Chinese Medicine and deliberately manipulating public opinion?"

Li Xu didn’t answer directly, only saying in a serious tone, "President Ding, now is not the time to ask for details. Changing the name will be a hassle, but if it can protect the reputation of Traditional Chinese Medicine and prevent a greater crisis, it’s a price worth paying. Trust me."

Ding Kaifang nodded. "No problem. I trust you. Changing the name is a pain, but this is an emergency. I’ll handle it personally and go through the fast-track channels. Since the medicine’s safety and compliance don’t need to be re-audited, it should only delay us by a day or two at most."

"Then I’ll leave it to you, President Ding. The sooner, the better."

Li Xu let out a long sigh of relief.

True to his decisive nature, Ding Kaifang immediately sprang into action.

He mobilized his connections and resources, personally went to the drug administration department, and rushed the approval process for the name change to Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules.

Although he encountered some obstacles along the way, thanks to Ding Kaifang’s persistence and maneuvering, he ultimately secured the approval in the fastest time possible.

Just two days later, brand-new boxes of "Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules" were rolling off the production line at Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory.

The packaging style of these boxes was somewhat similar to the popular "Lianhua" series products on the market.

Only the "Ding’s Pharmaceutical" logo printed in the bottom-left corner distinguished it from other pharmaceutical companies.

The first batch of Lianhua Suanzaoren Granules to come off the line was sent to Li’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic that very day to be put into use immediately.